Manchester City’s demonstration on Chelsea’s pitch resonated well beyond Stamford Bridge. By winning (0-3) with authority, Pep Guardiola’s men sent a clear message to the entire Premier League, and especially to leader Arsenal. Hanging on for a long time in a lively first period, the Cityzens showed their collective mastery and their technical quality after the break to turn the match around. The inspiration of Rayan Cherki, untenable between the lines, symbolized the rise of the Mancunian troops. Indeed, the French leader dynamited the London defense, creating the gap on the opening score before causing the second goal. In a few minutes, the Mancunian machine started up and the Blues no longer existed, suffering the offensive waves of a team that became ruthless again in key moments.
Beyond the result, the timing of this victory is striking. While Arsenal have just stumbled against Bournemouth on Saturday and see the pressure mounting in the title race, Manchester City on the contrary seems to be finding their best rhythm at the decisive moment of the season. The residents of the Etihad Stadium certainly remain behind in the standings, but with a match in hand and above all a direct clash to come against the Gunners in Manchester next weekend. All the cards are still in their hands. In the Skyblues locker room, the confidence is palpable with the experience of recent seasons, where Pep Guardiola’s team have often reversed similar situations, which fuels the belief that the final sprint can still turn to their advantage. The convincing performance against Chelsea therefore looks like a real blow of pressure thrown at Arsenal before this decisive shock, which could well redefine the balance of the fight for the title.
A real final next Sunday
A few minutes after the final whistle, the City players took turns in the mixed zone to show the same motivation to overthrow the Gunners. “ I watched the Arsenal game and when I saw them lose I realized that the Premier League is really unpredictable. We were also focused on our own game. Winning here is not a given, so the fact that we did it today is exceptional. Is the title race relaunched? I would be crazy not to believe it. I think the race is on. We have an important match now, we will recover well and we are looking forward to it. They will come hungry. They won’t just give it to us, so we’ll have to go take it. Believe me, we will be well prepared. The match will be decisive. If we win this match, it will be a big blow for them. If we lose, it’s in their hands and we have to wait until they lose. But if we win, it’s in our hands and I prefer to have it in mine “, declared Jérémy Doku. Same story for Marc Guéhi: “ we keep our feet on the ground, recover and focus on the next challenge. The most important thing is that we did the job today and now we are focusing on the next game. Everyone did their job today, let’s move on to the next one ».
Also questioned, Rayan Cherki did not want to mask this impression of complete confidence before the poster next Sunday against the Gunners: “ now we can go and play against Arsenal, which is a very important match for us. I don’t feel any pressure. I just want to play with my teammates, please the fans, make good passes… to all the players, because we need goals. If we think about the match against Arsenal? We’re trying to squeeze in a few more days of rest (laughs, editor’s note), we really want to let go (on these next few days) and when we go back to work, we’re not going to take it easy. It’s accessible. Is the title accessible? Of course, there are still many hopes. Obviously, we are not going to hide behind any excuses. We will work all week and see you next Sunday “. In any case, everything seems to be going well for the Cityzens, who will host an Arsenal team who will have all the pressure on their shoulders in a week.
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